1981 in Israel
Encyclopedia

Incumbents

  • Prime Minister of Israel
    Prime Minister of Israel
    The Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...

     - Menachem Begin
    Menachem Begin
    ' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...

     (Likud
    Likud
    Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...

    )
  • President of Israel
    President of Israel
    The President of the State of Israel is the head of state of Israel. The position is largely an apolitical ceremonial figurehead role, with the real executive power lying in the hands of the Prime Minister. The current president is Shimon Peres who took office on 15 July 2007...

     - Yitzhak Navon
    Yitzhak Navon
    Yitzhak Navon is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and author. He served as the fifth President of Israel between 1978 and 1982 as a member of the center-left Alignment party...

  • Chief of General Staff - Rafael Eitan
    Rafael Eitan
    Rafael "Raful" Eitan was an Israeli general, former Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces and later a politician, a Knesset member government minister...

  • Government of Israel - 18th Government of Israel
    Eighteenth government of Israel
    The eighteenth government of Israel was formed by Menachem Begin on 20 June 1977, following the May 1977 elections. It was the first government in Israeli political history led by a right-wing party, with the coalition consisting of Begin's Likud , the National Religious Party and Agudat...

     until August 5, 19th Government of Israel
    Nineteenth government of Israel
    The Nineteenth government of Israel was formed by Menachem Begin on 5 August 1981, following the June elections. Begin included Likud, the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Tami and Telem in his coalition, which held 63 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, and the cabinet had 17 ministers...


Events

  • June 7 – Operation Opera
    Operation Opera
    Operation Babylon was a surprise Israeli air strike carried out on June 7, 1981, that destroyed a nuclear reactor under construction 17 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, Iraq....

    : Eight Israeli F-16s, escorted by F-15s
    F-15 Eagle
    The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...

    , severely damage Osirak, an Iraq
    Iraq
    Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....

    i nuclear reactor
    Nuclear reactor
    A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...

     under construction near Baghdad
    Baghdad
    Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...

    , which Israeli military intelligence
    Military intelligence
    Military intelligence is a military discipline that exploits a number of information collection and analysis approaches to provide guidance and direction to commanders in support of their decisions....

     maintain was built by the regime of Saddam Hussein
    Saddam Hussein
    Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...

     for the purpose of plutonium
    Plutonium
    Plutonium is a transuranic radioactive chemical element with the chemical symbol Pu and atomic number 94. It is an actinide metal of silvery-gray appearance that tarnishes when exposed to air, forming a dull coating when oxidized. The element normally exhibits six allotropes and four oxidation...

     production to further an Iraqi nuclear weapons program. Israeli intelligence also believed that the summer of 1981 would be the last chance to destroy the reactor before it would be loaded with nuclear fuel
    Nuclear fuel
    Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...

    .
  • June 30 – The Likud
    Likud
    Likud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...

     party led by Menachem Begin
    Menachem Begin
    ' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...

     wins the 10th Israeli legislative elections
    Israeli legislative election, 1981
    Elections for the tenth Knesset were held in Israel on 30 June 1981. Despite last minute polls suggesting a victory for Shimon Peres's Alignment, Menachem Begin's Likud won by just one seat...

    .
  • July – The 1981 Maccabiah Games
    1981 Maccabiah Games
    The 1981 11th Maccabiah Games brought 3,450 athletes to Israel from 30 nations.The 30-sports menu included rugby union, sailing and softball for the first time.New facilities for squash, wrestling, karate, and judo were introduced....

     are held.
  • August 5 – Menachem Begin
    Menachem Begin
    ' was a politician, founder of Likud and the sixth Prime Minister of the State of Israel. Before independence, he was the leader of the Zionist militant group Irgun, the Revisionist breakaway from the larger Jewish paramilitary organization Haganah. He proclaimed a revolt, on 1 February 1944,...

     presents his cabinet for a Knesset
    Knesset
    The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

     "Vote of Confidence". The 19th Government
    Nineteenth government of Israel
    The Nineteenth government of Israel was formed by Menachem Begin on 5 August 1981, following the June elections. Begin included Likud, the National Religious Party, Agudat Yisrael, Tami and Telem in his coalition, which held 63 of the 120 seats in the Knesset, and the cabinet had 17 ministers...

     is approved that day and the members are sworn in.
  • December 14 – The Knesset
    Knesset
    The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...

     approves the "Golan Heights Law
    Golan Heights Law
    The Golan Heights Law is the Israeli law which applies Israel's government and laws to the Golan Heights. It was ratified by the Knesset on December 14, 1981. The law was condemned internationally and determined null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497.The law was passed...

    " which applies Israel's government and laws to the Golan Heights. The law was condemned internationally and declared null and void by United Nations Security Council Resolution 497
    United Nations Security Council Resolution 497
    United Nations Security Council Resolution 497, adopted unanimously on December 17, 1981, calls on the State of Israel to rescind its de facto annexation of the Golan Heights...

    .

Israeli–Palestinian conflict

The most prominent events related to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict which occurred during 1981 include:

Notable Palestinian militant operations against Israeli targets

The most prominent Palestinian Arab terror attack
Palestinian political violence
Palestinian political violence refers to acts of violence undertaken to further the Palestinian cause. These political objectives include self-determination in and sovereignty over Palestine, the liberation of Palestine and establishment of a Palestinian state, either in place of both Israel and...

s committed against Israelis during 1981 include:
  • August 10 – Palestinian terrorists threw two bombs at an Israeli embassy in Vienna
    Vienna
    Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...

    , wounding a 75-year old woman.
  • August 29 – 1981 Vienna synagogue attack
    1981 Vienna synagogue attack
    The 1981 Vienna synagogue attack was a terror attack on the Stadttempel of Vienna, Austria carried out by Palestinian terrorists of the Abu Nidal organization. -Attack:...

    : Palestinian terrorists killed two people and wounded 30 attending a Bar Mitzvah in Vienna.


Notable Israeli military operations against Palestinian militancy targets


The most prominent Israeli military counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

 operations (military campaign
Military campaign
In the military sciences, the term military campaign applies to large scale, long duration, significant military strategy plan incorporating a series of inter-related military operations or battles forming a distinct part of a larger conflict often called a war...

s and military operations) carried out against Palestinian militants during 1981 include:
  • July 17 – Israeli aircraft bomb Beirut
    Beirut
    Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

    , destroying multi-story apartment blocks containing the offices of PLO-associated groups, killing approximately 300 civilians and resulting in worldwide condemnation and a U.S. embargo on the export of aircraft to Israel.

Unknown dates

  • The founding of the communal settlement
    Communal settlement (Israel)
    A community settlement is a type of town in Israel. While in an ordinary town anyone may buy property, in a community settlement the town's residents, who are organized in a cooperative, can veto a sale of a house or a business to an undesirable buyer....

     Barkan
    Barkan
    Barkan , is an Israeli settlement in the northern West Bank, about 25 km east of Tel Aviv and 8 km west of Salfit, under the administrative local government of the Shomron Regional Council. According to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics), the population was 1,200 at the end of 2004...

    .
  • The founding of the moshav
    Moshav
    Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...

     Alonei HaBashan
    Alonei HaBashan
    Alonei HaBashan is an Israeli settlement, moshav shitufi, located in the central Golan Heights, under the administration of Israel. The settlement was built in 1981, and its name is taken from the Bible . "Bashan" is a Biblical name for the Golan Heights. It falls under the municipal jurisdiction...

    .
  • The founding of the moshav
    Moshav
    Moshav is a type of Israeli town or settlement, in particular a type of cooperative agricultural community of individual farms pioneered by the Labour Zionists during the second aliyah...

     Kalanit
    Kalanit, Israel
    Kalanit is a communal settlement in Merom HaGalil Regional Council in Galilee, Israel. It is situated between Tiberias and Karmiel, next to Road 807 and Maghar....

    .
  • The Old City of Jerusalem and its walls are designated by UNESCO
    UNESCO
    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

     as World Heritage Site
    World Heritage Site
    A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

    s.

Notable births

  • January 27 – Yaniv Katan
    Yaniv Katan
    Yaniv Katan is an Israeli international football forward and winger. He is currently contracted to Maccabi Haifa.-Personal life:Katan is Jewish, grew up in Haifa most of his life and then moved to Tel Aviv shortly after his parents divorced. His parents are Iraqi immigrants who moved from Baghdad...

    , Israeli footballer.
  • April 8 – Ofer Shechter
    Ofer Shechter
    Ofer Shechter is an Israeli actor, entertainer, model and TV host.- Biography :Schechter was born and raised in Moshav Hadar Am. At the age of seven Schechter took part in a commercial for a watermelon Ice pop which was broadcast on Israeli TV...

    , Israeli actor, comedian, TV host and model.
  • May 17 – Shiri Maimon
    Shiri Maimon
    Shiri Maimon is an Israeli pop/R&B singer, TV show host and actress, who rose to fame as the runner-up in the TV show Kokhav Nolad. She represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2005.-Early life:...

    , Israeli singer, actress and TV host.
  • June 9 – Natalie Portman
    Natalie Portman
    Natalie Hershlag , better known by her stage name Natalie Portman, is an actress with dual American and Israeli citizenship. Her first role was as an orphan taken in by a hitman in the 1994 French action film Léon, but major success came when she was cast as Padmé Amidala in the Star Wars prequel...

    , Israeli-American actress.
  • August 8 – Harel Skaat
    Harel Skaat
    Harel Skaat is an Israeli singer and songwriter. He represented Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 2010 with the song "Milim" ....

    , Israeli singer.
  • August 11 – Yoni Bloch
    Yoni Bloch
    Yoni Bloch is an Israeli musician, song writer, composer, rock singer and hi-tech entrepreneur.- Early life :Bloch grew up in Beer Sheva and at the age of 17 moved with his family to Lehavim...

    , Israeli singer.

Notable deaths

  • January 12 – Hamad Abu Rabia
    Hamad Abu Rabia
    Sheikh Hamad Abu Rabia was a Bedouin Israeli politician and a member of the Knesset, best known for being assassinated by sons of another Israeli Arab Druze politician.-Biography:...

     (b. 1929), Bedouin Israeli politician, murdered.
  • February 11 – Franz Sondheimer
    Franz Sondheimer
    -Early life:Sondheimer was born in Stuttgart, Germany in 1926 and, following the rise of the Nazis, fled to the United Kingdom in 1937.-Education:He was a pupil at Highgate School and subsequently studied chemistry, receiving his degree from Imperial College London.-Career:From 1949 to 1952,...

     (b. 1926
    1926 in Germany
    -National level:President*Paul von Hindenburg Chancellor* Hans Luther to 12 May, then from 17 May Wilhelm Marx -Events:* 1 January - the city of Cologne is badly hit by flooding in the River Rhine....

    ), German-born Israeli-British chemist.
  • March 25 – Yonatan Ratosh
    Yonatan Ratosh
    Uriel Shelach , better known by his pen name Yonatan Ratosh , was an Israeli poet and the founder of the Canaanite movement.-Biography :...

     (b. 1908), Russian (Poland)-born Israeli poet and the founder of the Canaanite movement.
  • May 8 – Uri Zvi Grinberg (b. 1896), Austro-Hungarian (Galicia)-born Israeli poet and journalist.
  • May 20 – Binyamin Arditi
    Binyamin Arditi
    Binyamin Arditi was an Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Herut and Gahal between 1955 and 1965.-Biography:Born in Vienna, Arditi attended high school in Sofia in Bulgaria. In 1917 he became a member of the central committee of the Zionist Organization of Bulgaria, on...

     (b. 1897), Austrian-born Israeli politician.
  • June 14 – Haim Shirman
    Haim Shirman
    Haim Shirman was Israeli scholar of medieval Spanish Jewish poetry.- Biography :...

     (b. 1904), Russian (Ukraine)-born Israeli scholar of medieval Spanish Jewish poetry.
  • October 16 – Moshe Dayan
    Moshe Dayan
    Moshe Dayan was an Israeli military leader and politician. The fourth Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces , he became a fighting symbol to the world of the new State of Israel...

     (b. 1915), Israeli general and politician.
  • December 9 – Franz Ollendorff
    Franz Ollendorff
    Franz Heinrich Ollendorff, also known as Haim Ollendorff was an Israeli physicist.-Biography:...

     (b. 1900
    1900 in Germany
    -National level:* Kaiser - Wilhelm II* Chancellor - Chlodwig, Prince of Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst to 17 October, then Bernhard von Bülow-Kingdoms:* King of Bavaria - Otto of Bavaria* King of Prussia - Kaiser Wilhelm II* King of Saxony - Albert of Saxony...

    ), German-born Israeli physicist.

See also

  • 1981 in Israeli film
    1981 in Israeli film
    A list of films produced by the Israeli film industry in 1981.-Unknown premiere date:-External links:* at the Internet Movie Database...

  • 1981 in Israeli television
  • 1981 in Israeli music
  • 1981 in Israeli sport
  • Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest 1981

External links

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